The Business of Events (TBOE) has announced it is to return in 2018 with a much-expanded program of activity with VisitBritain again supporting the series of events.

This year will see the anchor TBOE Senior Leadership Forum return to the QEII Centre in London on Friday 26th October and be preceded by a Parliamentary Debate on Thursday 25th October in Portcullis House, Westminster, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Events Industry.

The UK Events Industry Board Talent Taskforce has today launched a research programme that will assess how the sector attracts, develops and retains its talent.

In support of the Government’s Business Visits and Events strategy, the research will examine current skills, training and education and HR processes. It will provide recommendations to the Events Industry Board as to how a sustainable, competitive, highly-skilled workforce can be developed in a post-Brexit environment.

At its Annual General Meeting held today (Monday, 23rd July 2018), Michael Hirst OBE, Chairman of the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP), was reappointed for a three-year term to the board of the Tourism Alliance, the body that represents over fifty organisations covering the diverse sectors making up Britain’s visitor economy.

Hirst has been a Tourism Alliance board member for the past fifteen years, was Chairman of the Alliance in 2013 and has also served as Treasurer and on the Executive Committee.

Events Industry Board chairman, leading Brexiteer and former Conservative MP Nick de Bois, is stepping down from the EIB role as he takes up the post of chief of staff to Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.

Applications for grants are being called for VisitBritain’s programme to secure new international business events for the UK and to grow the value of existing events, boosting the economy.

VisitBritain’s Business Events Growth Programme* provides support to the UK’s business events sector with two funding strands. The ‘Bid Enhancement and Support’ strand supports UK cities in their bids for international events. The ‘International Delegate Growth’ strand supports existing business events to boost their events international attendance and profile.

(Article first published in Conference News on 26th June 2018). BVEP chairman Michael Hirst OBE says that the planned expansion to Heathrow Airport, which was approved in a vote by MPs on 25 June, will strengthen the UK’s position at the forefront of the events industry. “Heathrow is the main hub airport for business travellers into Britain”, he told CN exclusively. “Its eventual expansion will enable the essential growth in business visitors to conferences, exhibitions and other events as we strengthen the country’s position as a destination for world class events.”

Representatives from The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) held their partners' meeting in Bristol last week as guests of Destination Bristol.

The meeting received reports on current lobbying activities and discussed the progress on government representation, skills and infrastructure being made by the Events Industry Board and the arrangements being made by the All Party Parliamentary Group for a Parliamentary Debate this coming autumn. The Business Events Growth Programme being introduced by VisitBritain was also reviewed.

The Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) has announced today that the GTMC has become a partner of the organisation.

The GTMC is the representative body for travel management companies (TMCs) and the business travel community in the UK. Members of the GTMC range from some of the world’s largest TMC groups to specialist travel businesses. The trade body works with its members and industry partners to raise the profile of the economic impact of business travel and lobby those at the highest level within the sector and government.

New research into the UK’s conference and meetings sector, entitled the ‘UK Conference and Meeting Survey 2018’ (UKCAMS), reveals an estimated £18.1 billion of direct expenditure generated by conference and meeting delegates in venues and in wider destination spend in 2017. While the overall number of conferences and meetings held in 2017 was lower than in 2016, the average size of events was up slightly on 2016.

Making Britain the best place in the world for the creative industries to thrive. Britain’s world-leading creative industries are set to consolidate the country’s position as a global creative powerhouse, following a groundbreaking new Industrial Strategy deal agreed between government and the Creative Industries Council (CIC) on behalf of the sector.

Meetings Industry Meeting Needs (MIMN)

MIMN is a registered charity founded by leading figures in the UK conference and events Industry. The objective of MIMN is to raise funds for worthy causes relevant to the events industry which may not have the resources to raise sufficient funds without additional contributions.